DOOM: "Omicron Covid cases ‘doubling every two to three days’ in UK"

[AtW]

"Hospitals in England asked to look for up to 4,000 emergency Covid beds

NHS on ‘war footing’ as small-scale ‘Nightingale’ facilities being created at eight sites"

Hospitals have been asked to identify sites for up to 4,000 emergency beds to deal with a potential wave of Omicron admissions in England, as cases hit a record 183,000.

On Wednesday, more than 10,000 patients were in hospital with Covid, a figure not reached since March.

NHS England confirmed that it was creating new small-scale “Nightingale” facilities with up to 100 beds each at eight hospitals across the country. The health service said it had asked trusts to identify empty spaces to accommodate beds in places such as gyms or teaching areas. NHS managers are aiming to create up to 4,000 beds as surge capacity if needed, with work on the first tranche, in temporary structures, starting this week.

A number of huge temporary hospitals, called the “Nightingales”, were built in exhibition halls in the first wave of the pandemic but were dismantled without being used to capacity."

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...emergency-beds

Malv said there is nothing to worry about

[SueEllen]

183k!

Good luck getting lateral flow and PCR tests...

[SueEllen]

Fair point, and that may be what Sue Ellen was also thinking in saying "Careful what you wish for"

Absolutely

Ah now that's more like it. Very sound idea!

Different healthcare system where only the treatment of Covid was completely free for everyone.

[AtW]

183k!

[OwlHoot]

I can see the argument for it, but it's a slippery slope and not one I'd want to start going down. What next? Smokers, drinkers, the obese, extreme sports fanatics, idiots just being idiots? A lot of stuff that lands you in hospital is your own fault, one way or another.

Fair point, and that may be what Sue Ellen was also thinking in saying "Careful what you wish for"

FWIW Singapore I believe, which has a decent public health system, now charges the unvaccinated for Covid care.

Ah now that's more like it. Very sound idea!

[mattster]

What I don't understand is why the Government, or anyone else, seems to agonize so much over anti-vaxxers. Just leave the ignorant, superstitious feckers alone. They've made their idiotic choice, so let them take their chances. But don't let them clog up hospital beds either - No vaccine should mean no hospital treatment for Covid!

I can see the argument for it, but it's a slippery slope and not one I'd want to start going down. What next? Smokers, drinkers, the obese, extreme sports fanatics, idiots just being idiots? A lot of stuff that lands you in hospital is your own fault, one way or another.

FWIW Singapore I believe, which has a decent public health system, now charges the unvaccinated for Covid care.

[NotAllThere]

What I don't understand is why the Government, or anyone else, seems to agonize so much over anti-vaxxers. Just leave the ignorant, superstitious feckers alone. They've made their idiotic choice, so let them take their chances. But don't let them clog up hospital beds either - No vaccine should mean no hospital treatment for Covid!

They'll have to agree to a test first. Many are anti-testers, so we won't know if they die of covid, with covid nor without covid.

[minestrone]

Gonna be another lockdown. Getting that mood music, loads of staff issues in the NHS now.

[malvolio]

What I don't understand is why the Government, or anyone else, seems to agonize so much over anti-vaxxers. Just leave the ignorant, superstitious feckers alone. They've made their idiotic choice, so let them take their chances. But don't let them clog up hospital beds either - No vaccine should mean no hospital treatment for Covid!

You should remember that with 90% of ICU beds, at roughly £3k a day and occupied for an average 11 days, treating unvaccinated people and so preventing their availability for the more normal three days needed in pre-Covid times, they are effectively cutting ICU capacity by 75%. I think HMG are actually perfectly correct to worry about the wilfully unvaccinated idiots. They are a minority who are putting others at risk as well as absorbing resources we desperately need.

[SueEllen]

What I don't understand is why the Government, or anyone else, seems to agonize so much over anti-vaxxers. Just leave the ignorant, superstitious feckers alone. They've made their idiotic choice, so let them take their chances. But don't let them clog up hospital beds either - No vaccine should mean no hospital treatment for Covid!

As said many times since 2016 - be careful what you wish for...